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No. 102,507. u Patented Mayv 3, 1870.

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EPHRAIM K. DEAN, or BANGOR, MAINn'ASSIeNoR 'ro WILLIAM o. LOVER- or TAUNTQN, MASSACHUSETTS.

Leners Patent No. 102,507, dated May 3, 1870.

COVER FOR KETTLES .AND OTHER VESSELS The Schedule referred to h1.these'Letterl -Paterxtpzmd. making part of the stima 1 '0 all whom it 'may concern A v l Be it known 'that I, EPHRAIM K. DEAN, of Bangor,

in the State oi- Maine, have ivented an Improvement Y in Covers for Pots, Kettles, and Vessels used for Culinary and other Purposes; and I do herebydeclare that the following', taken in connection with the drawings which accompany and form part of this specifica'- tion, is a description of my invention suiicient to enablethose skilled inthe art to. practice it,

Figure 1 representing the under side of my improved cover; l

Figure 2, a' cross-section through thev spring-valve and spring;l and Y Figure 3, across-section at right angles to iig. 2.

Heretoi'ore, pots, Ste., in which water is. boiled for` any purpose over a fire or stove, have generally been inrnishe'd with covers, cast or. otherwise., made some-, y

what couver; or conical on their upper surface, and without openings therein, except, perhaps, a minute vent-hole.' Such covers, by reason ottheir form, `would not admit ot' placing uponithem any other article or vessel to be heated. Latterly, however, many covers have been made with dat tops, and these would permit-the placing thereon of other vessels, dishes, plates, Btc., provided the covers -were not furnished with'handles which would prevent it. i N ow, it is very desirable, especially where la? stove o r range is small and space must b e economized, both to lutilize'th'e heat, which would he more or less lost, and to heat at the same time more vessels and their contents than theel-ea of the. stove alone would permit.

,lo accomplish 'this is the object'of` my'inveutiou, which consists, as shown in the drawings accompany-v ing this specification, of a cover arranged to fit in any ordinary way within the top opening ofthe vessel tov which it belongs, the top l ofthe cover being dat enough to serve as' a horizontal support for anything placed thereon tand it may be entirely dat or level across its top face, or preferably dished somewhat, as shown, so as to have the `portion 2 nearer its edge slightly elevatedv above the rest, for a purpose hereinafter more particularly stated. i

At its center a circular portion is cut out, as seen at 3, to receive a self-closing spring valve, 4. This valve is made of larger diameter than the central openipg, and is placed beneath the cover, against which it is pressed upward by a bent or other spring, 5, to which itis connected, and which rests upon a cross-piece or bridge or support, 6,- secured to the under side of the cover. -.The valve is formed vwith a bulge or swell, 7, substantially as shown,(or a knob orbutton would serve the sane purpose) the object'ot which is that its uplast-named vessel upon the cover will, by the weightoi"k :the same, force and hold downward .the valve against' the pressure ofthe spring and the steam, thus open'-v ing the valve and allowing the steam to rise through the 'same and come in direct contact with the bottom of' the upper vessel.

It -will be further seen that when the bottom of the plate or vessel to beheated is of diameter suicient to rest upon the elevated part 2, the 'action of the 'steam is not confined to'a small space equal only to the size oi' the central opening, but, onl the contrary,

'the depression, in connection with the fiat bottoni ot' the vessel or plate, forms a steam-chamber of a diameter equal tothat oi' the depression, and hence the action of the heat is immediate and over nearly the.-ll whole. superficies ot' such vessel 0r plate.

Where, however, as in most teapots, there is a czv-r\ ity in the bottom, such cavityot itself', as shown by dotted lines in iig.`2, forms a steam-chamber.

When the article is removed from' the cover, the

v-valve automatically closes and remains so.

It is evident that dierent forms of valves may be used, and that springs may he applied -to the valve in any well-known manner, and that the form of thev `opening in the cover may bev varied, as also its posi# f tion, and that the concave or depression may be larger i or smaller, or deeper or shallower than shown, or may in certain cases be dispensed with altogether. Such changes 'would not depart from the spirit of my nvenn tion.

Where the vessel to be placed upon the cover has a. somewhat convex bottom,\as in some classes, which stand upon i'eet, it is evident that the bulge of the'-v valve ueed not necessarily lise higher than the rest ot thezcover. v Y

I make no claim to any thing, combination, or arrangement ot' parts as described or represented in the patent No. 98,509, dated January 4, 1870, and granted to William C. Lovering.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is i A cover for pots, kettles, and similar articles, provided with an automatically closing spring valve, subv stantially as shown and described.

Witnesses: EPHRAIM K. DEAN.

- PHILIP Coolns,

FRED. H. GooMBs. 

